Methods are already known for ascertaining information about a device exposed to a temperature, in which the temperature of the device is detected. For example, German Patent Application No. DE 195 164 81 A1 describes the computer-aided detection of a maximum temperature to which a control unit in a motor vehicle has been exposed. This has proven to be expedient because the fact that a control unit has been exposed to a high temperature may permit inferences about the probability of a future failure.